05.12.26 | Ascension | Prophecy of Jesus | Mary | New Ark |

Catholic Understanding & Biblical Defense Class 5/12/26

Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM (EST), 🖥️Zoom ID: 829 7355 9896  🗝️Passcode: 358319

Join to receive notifications and study notes on Meetup: www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

Past classes are posted on our Catholic Catacombs Website:  www.CatholicCatacombs.org 

House Rules and Catholic Resources…

1. RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recaps afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give exposure to “Catholic Bible Study” – a good thing! 

2. Questions. We encourage questions although we ask that you keep them on topic and brief. You can ask during the meeting, or in the chat box, or if you prefer you can email us through Meetup.com, or Ron directly: ron@hallagan.net. 

3. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between Christian denominations and religions in general, and we seek to be respectful at all times. Protestants especially are our friends and brothers/sisters-in-Christ; in fact, I owe much of my return to Christianity to them. Therefore, any critique of our brethren is in loving pursuit of apostolic truth.    

4. No politics.  It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal :). Our goal is to learn, understand, and apply the Bible and our faith to our everyday lives. 

5. Word on Fire. Bishop Robert Barron has reached millions through his 10 min Sunday homilies, podcasts, educational series and certifications, bibles, and other lectures and apologetics. www.wordonfire.org  

6. Hallow App. Daily prayers and reflections, especially for the high holyday seasons. www.alex@mail.hallow.com 

7. Catholic Answers – www.catholic.com. This is the best group/source for Catholic Apologetics on the planet. 

8. Dynamic Catholic. Interested in daily inspirations to grow closer to God and the Church, not to speak of the many educational resources? Sign up for Matthew Kelly’s powerful insights, quotes, and reflections at www.dynamiccatholic.com. 

9. “The Chosen” TV series.  All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not always easy. It can help if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen series captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Highly recommended.  

10. Cursillo. Interested in meeting with other men or women weekly over coffee to discuss God in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo). Contact Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com) for more information.       

11. Online- Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying the rosary, etc. with other Catholics during the week? Follow fellow member Jason Goldberg. Link: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-and-fellowship/

Bible Study Format

Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.

                            Study and interpretation of Scripture         A reasoned defense of the faith 

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

15. min   Apologetic Reflection

16. min   Upcoming Gospel Reading

30 min   Weekly topic/theme

1 hour

Week 1:    Gospel Week – we study several Gospel stories, especially the tough ones.     

Week 2:    Bible Week – we are working our way through the Bible. We are studying the New Testament.  

Week 3:    Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:       

1. Prison Ministry Stories  2. Plenary Indulgences   3. Explanation of the Mass and Eucharist   4. Dead Sea Scrolls              5. Catholicism vs modern cosmology?   6. The 7 Gifts/Fruits of the HS, 7 Deadly Sins  7. How to experience the Love of God  8. The Communion of Saints  9. Comparative Religions   10. Catholic vs Protestant beliefs

    Week 4:    Apologetics:

1. Gen 1-3 (Creation Story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, The Meaning of Eve/the Trees/Summary

2. Faith vs Doubt – does having doubts make us bad Christians?

• Don’t forget to RSVP. 

• Taylor will send a link to everyone with today’s notes.

• The class is recorded if you want to listen to it anytime.

• I will occasionally ask for volunteer readers… 

Opening Prayer: 

O LORD

Thank you for your promise that where two or three of us are gathered in your name, You are there! 

We ask for Your help to open our minds and hearts tonight so that Your Word breaks through and changes our lives. 

And as you taught us to pray together…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread, 

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen!

Major holy days:   The Lord is Risen! 

The Ascension of the Lord – Thurs, May 14 and Sun, May 17 

Pentecost – Sunday, May 24

Mass or Confession anywhere/anytime: www.masstimes.org

TODAY:

• Reflection – Why do we paint Easter Eggs?

• Gospel Reading for Thurs 5/14 and Sun 5/17… 

• The Great Commission:  Matthew 28:16-20

• The Ascension of the Lord:  Acts 1:1-11 

• Bible Timeline, New Testament – Act I:  The Birth of Jesus, New Ark of the Covenant

Quote of the Day: 

“Joy works backwards.” The meaning is that effort is required first and then joy comes back to you. It is in our fallen natures to want satisfaction, gratification, and joy first and not later. But that is not the spiritual way. We cannot learn any skill, or gain any virtue, that way. Even if we don’t want to put in the effort, as they say in AA, “Fake it till you make it.” 

Reflection – Easter Eggs

Coloring Easter eggs in Catholic tradition symbolizes the empty tomb of Jesus (the shell) and his resurrection (new life), often dyed red to represent the blood of Christ shed during the crucifixion. 

Rooted in early Mesopotamian Christianity, the tradition stems from fasting prohibitions during Lent, when eggs were forbidden and accumulated, then decorated to mark the end of the fast. 

Key Religious and Cultural Significance:

• Symbol of Resurrection: The hard shell represents the sealed tomb, and breaking it represents Jesus rising from the dead.

• The Red Tradition: Early Christians in Mesopotamia stained eggs red to represent the blood of Christ, a tradition heavily continued in Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches.

• Lenten Fasting: During the strict 40-day Lenten fast, Catholics did not eat eggs. Since chickens continued to lay, eggs were boiled to preserve them, and then decorated to be eaten on Easter Sunday.

• Color Meanings: While red is dominant, other colors were introduced, with red symbolizing Christ's blood, yellow representing the resurrection, and blue representing love. 

This custom, which spread from the early Church, spread through Europe and was adopted by Catholic and Protestant churches alike, merging ancient fertility symbols of spring with Christian resurrection narratives

Matthew 28:16-20 – The Great Commission

Context: On the Feast of the Ascension, the Church reads the last verses of Matthew’s Gospel. It is not the Ascension event, which is in the next reading of Acts. But it is the event on the mountain in Galilee when the resurrected Jesus gives his commission to his disciples – and so to the Church.  Remember at the tomb, Jesus asks the women to tell the Apostles to meet him in Galilee. This is the event that happens there. 

Matthew 28:16-20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

When they saw him, they worshiped; but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus asks them to baptize all nations…  Baptism replaces circumcision, which was the Old Testament requirement to be included in God’s chosen people, staring with Abraham. In Baptism, note that the Holy Spirit and water come together to seal the sacrament. This joining of the Holy Spirit and matter represents who we are – our physical and spiritual natures, but in the sacraments grace pours out as Heaven meets Earth, God unites with Man. 

Also note the exact words Jesus uses must be employed for Baptism to be valid.  Jesus’ words unite us with the Trinity. 

What meant by “some doubted”?

This meeting in Galilee is soon after the Resurrection, when doubts were still being prevalent, just like in the Upper Room. However, our English word “doubt” is also a bit strong. The Greek word for “doubted” is edistasan, which also means to hesitate, meaning the disciples were not completely sure of what was going on, or what was going to happen next. Was He going to become like King David now?  Remember, they didn’t know about the Ascension yet, which occurs a number of weeks later near Jerusalem, not Galilee. 

The Ascension of Jesus Christ

Acts 1:1-11

Context…       

Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles (Book of Acts, or Acts), which begins with the Ascension. 

Was Luke an Apostle? 

No. 

Was Luke Jewish? What was his profession?

We believe Luke had mixed parentage (Greek and Jewish) and was a convert to Judaism. He was a physician. 

What apostle did Luke follow? (TayQuiz)

Paul. Although it appears Luke may have followed Peter in the early chapters of Acts and, once Paul converted in Chapter 9, Luke became his disciple and close companion for the remaining 19 chapters. (28 chapters in Acts) 

The Ascension this Thursday and Sunday starts with a brief excerpt from the last few verses of Matthew and then the first 11 verses of the Acts of the Apostles. Note this first verse in Acts:   

“In the first book, Theophilus” I gave an account of all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up…”.

Who is Theophilus and what does Luke mean by “the first book”?

“Theophilus” is Greek and means “lover of God” (theo=God + philus=love). It is certainly possible that somebody had that name, but the likelihood is that the book is addressed to the Church, to all future Christians. 

Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, is the same Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke, which makes the Gospel “the first book.” They could almost be read as Luke Part I and Luke Part II, since Acts is a continuation of his Gospel. The separation point between the two books is Christ ending his earthly mission and the beginning of the Church.    

At the Last Supper (Jn 16:7), why did Jesus say he must go to the Father in order for the Holy Spirit to come?

Jesus’ mission to reunite humanity with God would not be complete until he ascended back to the Trinity with his saved (glorified) human body. Once this was accomplished, the Holy Spirit could come to be with (and in) all humans thereafter, with no limits on space or time. 

Jesus’ 40 days on Earth after the resurrection was not only preparation for the Apostles to start the Church but also a foretaste of our own resurrection. 

The Ascension of the Lord 

Acts 1:1-11 – The Ascension of the Lord  

In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 

While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The Ascension of Jesus

When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has  established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. 

While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? Jesus who has been taken up into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

Exegesis/Interpretation

Let’s answer 4 questions:  

1. Why forty days? 

2. What did they do between the Ascension and Pentecost? 

3. Why did a “cloud” take Jesus up? 

4. What did “heaven” mean to first century Jews? 

1. Why forty days?

The number 40 in biblical parlance refers to times of transition, purification, and/or preparation. Examples:

• Noah’s flood – 40 days of transition and purification, from wicked to starting over.  

• Moses on Mt. Sinai – 40 days of preparation. 

• Israelites 40 years in the desert – purification and preparation. 

• Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness preparing to begin his mission on Earth

• Jesus spends 40 days between his Resurrection and Ascension preparing for transition to carry out his mission on Earth through the Church. 

2. Jesus told them to remain in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit? How long would they have to wait?

3. 
   

      Nine days, and on the tenth day (50th since Easter), the Holy Spirit would come on Pentecost, completing and elevating the Jewish Pentecost.    

     What other significance does “9 days” have?

    The Apostles prayed with Mary and other disciples for 9 days while they waited, which is where our 9-day Novena prayers come from. We are emulating that very special 9 days. (Novena is Latin for “nine.”) 

3) What is the meaning of a “cloud” taking Jesus up?

           In the O.T., God comes in the clouds. 

• The LORD goes before them in a pillar of cloud by day. – Exodus 13:21

• The cloud settles on the tabernacle, directing the people. – Numbers 9:18

• A cloud fills the temple, representing the glory of God. – 1 Kings 8:10-11

• The son of man comes with the clouds of heaven. – Daniel 7:13

             Clouds are a sign of divinity. 

Ascension Concluded

       The Ascension not only celebrates Jesus victory over death on our behalf, but also unites humanity to the Trinity. Jesus takes his human body, wounds and all, with him when he ascends. By raising us into a direct relationship with the Trinity, we are raised above the angels. 

Did we deserve this? 

       Of course not. Welcome to God’s example of love. We can’t match it, but we can practice and improve our game. 

Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, he told us that the Kingdom (him) is already here, in our hearts, if we so choose. The same can now be said for our resurrection – it begins now. It occurs every day when we wake up and decide, “Today, I will live for the Lord.” Our resurrection continues every time we love someone even though they were not loving to us; at that moment, we are brought to new life. Every time we decide to trust and begin again, even after repeated failures, at that moment we are living the resurrection. Every time we refuse to be negative, cynical, hopeless – or we pray for others instead of condemn them – we are living Christ’s resurrection. The resurrection is not a later event; it begins now.   

Introduction to The New Testament

How many books in the OT?  

46

How many books in the NT?  

27

Total in Bible:  46 + 27 = 73

As we move into the New Testament, we will not read all 27 books, but will continue the “Biblical Timeline Narrative,” which will primarily be the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, although other books will be referenced throughout. Much of today’s content was taken from the “Bible In A Year,” which does an excellent job at the Timeline Narrative. 

The New Testament can be divided into two parts (I and II below). 

Part I – The Gospels: The Life of Christ 

1. The historical setting into which the new Davidic king is born. 

1. The Roman Republic and Caesar Augustus

2. Herod the Great

3. Jesus’ Birth

4. The Ark of the New Covenant 

2 Jesus’ public ministry and key aspects of his teaching throughout Judea and Galilee.

3 Jesus’ passion and death, which climaxes and completes the story of Israel. 

4 Jesus resurrection, his encounter with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and his Ascension. 

Part II – The Church: Acts of the Apostles, Letters, Revelation

* For our studying of the New Testament, I will be following along Jeff Cavins’ “Bible in a Year” course, which I highly recommend. 

The Birth of Jesus

Like every other Gospel reading we have studied, we have to connect Jesus’s birth with the Old Testament. I will call to mind two prophecies, one from the prophet Daniel and one from the prophet Isaiah. These prophecies and Jesus’s birth will make clear that the story of Israel was at last reaching its long-awaited climax and resolution. 

The first is Daniel. Does anyone know it?

If you recall, Israel fell to the Babylonians roughly 600 BC, which ushered in the Babylonian Exile. The famous prophet Daniel lived in Babylon for the entire Exile – 70 years – working for the Babylonian king because he was recognized for his wisdom. Daniel prayed often for the delivery of Israel from captivity. During one of these times, he was visited by the Angel Gabriel. 

How many times did Gabriel appear in the Bible?

Three. The first was Daniel. The second was to John the Baptist’s father (Zechariah) in the Temple to tell him that Elizabeth was pregnant. The third was to Mary – the Annunciation. Gabriel appears three times; they’re all connected!

Gabriel’s message to Daniel was that the Lord had heard his prayers and sent Gabriel to see him. Gabriel message: 

“Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. – Daniel 9:24

• Seventy-sevens (or “seventy weeks of seven”) has been translated to mean 490 years (70x7).

• To finish the transgression and put an end to sin – Jesus’ dying for our sins. 

• To make atonement for iniquity – Jesus reunites us to God (atonement means to make one again). 

• To bring in everlasting righteousness – Heaven is reopened to Man. 

So, Gabriel come three times: at the outset of the 490 years and at the ending, which takes us to Christ resurrection and Ascension.  

The second prophecy: Emmanual, God with us. 

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel (which means God with us).” – Isaiah7:14

The point of the message to Isaiah was that God was coming and was going to be with them. This was huge. Emmanual is the title of the Messiah, the office. As we know, Gabriel told Joseph in a dream to name him Jesus, which means “God saves.” But as the Gospel goes on to say, “Now this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, Behold, a virgin shall be with child” – Matt 1:23.  Emmanual not only says God will be with them, but it also satisfies Jesus’ statement, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).  

Gabriel describes the child that Mary will bear as royal and messianic: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father  David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33). Jesus fulfills both the great covenant oath made to David that one of his line will rule forever and will be God’s own Son (2 Sam 7), and also the covenant promise that Abraham’s name will be made great with a royal dynasty 9Gen 12:1-3; 17:6). This royal proclamation is confirmed with Elizabeth greets Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant , bearing God’s presence conceived in her womb, and explains: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43). This passage only makes sense in the context of the Davidic Kingdom of old, in which the mother of the king was queen over Israel. Elizabeth greets Mary with the respect due to the queen of Israel, praising the new Davidic king and his queen mother. 

The New Ark of the Covenant

Mary is not only the New Eve, but she is also seen as the fulfillment of the Ark of the Covenant. Why? 

What did the Ark of the Old Covenant contain? 

1. The 2 tablets of the Ten Commandments (a first installment on the “Word of God"); 

2. The Manna (the “bread from Heaven");  

3. The staff of Aaron (Moses' brother) who represented the priestly authority of God, overseeing the sacrifices to God for their sins.

What did Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant, contain?

1. The Word of God in the flesh (John 1:14); 

2. The Bread of Eternal Life (John 6:51); 

3. The true priestly authority of God, who gave himself as a sacrifice for all mankind. 

If that wasn’t enough, there’s more...

Now, let's compare David bringing the Ark into the hill country near Jerusalem to Mary bringing Jesus to the hill country near Jerusalem (to Elizabeth): 

King David and the Ark (2 Samuel 9-16)

1. "King David was leaping and dancing before the LORD."

2) … and singing, "How can the Ark of the LORD should come to me?" 

3)  they stayed there 3 months. 

Mary visiting Elizabeth pregnant (Luke 1:41-43)

1. "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb."

                  And then, in a loud cry. 

2)  ….and Elizabeth said, "How is it the Mother of the Lord should come to me?"  

3)  Mary stayed there 3 months.

Closing Prayer

Hail, holy Queen,

Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us,

And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen.